Back and even better than before: February 23 saw the long-awaited return of CC’s Battle of the Bands in the Cornerstone Arts Center. This first round of the competition was hosted by Sounds of Colorado College (SOCC). Completely run by students, SOCC gives student bands a chance to perform live in front of their peers.
“Battle of the Bands is huge for the music community here,” says the members of Haven and Hollow. “The chance to get exposure and show what your band can do is huge.”
After a COVID-19-related hiatus, Battle of the Bands made its triumphant return this year thanks to the senior class bringing back the tradition.
This initial round featured 10 student bands across genres like rock, metal, jazz, and indie. Some standouts included Right Swipe, a jazzy trio who met via Tinder; Jabberwocky, an energetic indie-rock group with a crazy vocal range from lead singer Jim Sellers ’26; and The Salem Witches, featuring Adam Overman ’24 bringing metal vibes with long hair and Nirvana covers.
I interviewed all four members of Jabberwocky, composed of Burke Macleay ’26 on bass, Sellars on guitar and vocals, Bradley Humble ’26 on drums, and Alex Polovin ’27 on guitar. They shared the origin story of their name:
“We were in the library and didn’t have a band name and asked a friend for ideas,” Polovin says. “He suggested using our initials, which could spell ‘JAB.’ Then Burke suggested adding something like ‘wocky’.”
Despite forming less than a year ago and having little previous gig experience besides a few apartment shows, the group seemed confident and excited to perform at the high-energy event.
“It’s a very friendly, supportive music scene here where everyone knows each other,” Sellars says. “We’re ready to go out and show what we can do.”
With a tight six minutes, Jabberwocky said they had reasonably high hopes but were mainly focused on enjoying the experience. Humble says about managing their short time limit: “We have six minutes to play which is a little tough to pack everything into, but I think we’re pretty good with the timing.”
Overall, Jabberwocky emphasized the collaborative community rather than competitiveness between bands.
“I think the music scene at CC is really, really interconnected. And like, very supportive of each other,” Polovin says. “Everyone’s there to support and see what you can do.”
The event’s second round will take place on Saturday, March 30 in CC’s Ed Robson Arena. Jabberwocky and seven other bands will compete for the chance to perform at the school’s beloved Llamapalooza music festival.
This initial night of Battle of the Bands 2024 was a hit with over 150 attendees packing Cornerstone. The student organizers planned an excellent event with quality stage, lighting, and audio production that rivaled professional venues.
Battle of the Bands inspires more kids to start their own bands and put themselves out there. It breathes so much life into the creative community on campus. This event proved the music scene at CC is back, lively as ever, and ready to support talented student musicians.
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